I have always liked Eve’s “Butterfly Effect” trailer as it really expressed one of the greatest aspects Eve – small actions can have consequences beyond the obvious. The following story will deal with the background of a recently destroyed titan and offer some insight into the brewing conflict that lead to its demise.
On 2015-03-02 at 01:08 Eve time, a Psychotic Tendencies (TISHU) Erebus titan piloted by Zerelos (alt of Gumshoe Nosfera,) along with a Nyx super capital, was destroyed by Northern CoalitionDOT (NCdot) in the lowsec system of Aring, Genesis region. TISHU had recently set out to secure moon assets by invading the Genesis/Kor-Azor area inhabited by the pirate alliance known as Easily Excited (EE.) While the first night showed a large amount of EE’s assets being reinforced, a trap was set up between EE and NCdot.
Video of the fight
Killmails
Erebus lossmail
Nyx lossmail
As expected, the history on this matter always sweetens the story and shows why Eve is truly a great game. This story is particularly interesting to me – for a time I lived in the region and served as an alliance diplomat for Surely You’re Joking (SYJ) which made up the other half of “Definitely Not A Coalition” Coalition (DNAC) and have somewhat of an internal perspective on the parties involved. At the same time, Gumshoe (titan pilot) was serving as the head FC for EE and de facto second in command of the alliance under on-again off-again love interest “Muffy.”
Throughout September of 2014 SYJ leadership was informed that several corp CEOs and general line members were unhappy concerning the current manner by which EE was run. As far as we were concerned, that was their drama and we were much more laid back about issues. We simply chalked it up to yet another “drama flare up” within EE that would occasionally happen, usually when Muffy and Gumby’s relationship had its more difficult moments. However, this time it seemed worse and while losing a few corps and directors within our allies was not a major issue, the possibility of losing a major coalition asset such as their main FC, who also happened to also have a titan gifted to him from Muffy, was a real issue.
I spoke with Gumby in the last week of September and asked him the following questions:
“Can you reconcile with Muffy?” “No.”
“Do other high level members within EE feel just as frustrated as you with the current state of affairs?” “Yes.” “Would you be able to convince them to come with you and join SYJ to salvage your alliance?” “Yes.”
Based on the information present, the proposal was made that Gumby speak with all of the individuals he felt would be sympathetic to his situation, get them to join him, and just as importantly, that we would secure EE’s moon assets in the region to be used by the members coming over from SYJ.
While we were able to secure most if not all of EE’s assets under SYJ, Gumby was unable to convince as many people as he would have hoped to leave the alliance and merge. Rather than the hoped-for swift regime change, it seemed as if we would have to fight a bloody civil war with our former allies.
Things became…Easily Dramatic
SYJ’s relationship with EE went back to early 2014 when both alliances supported each other as they lived on opposite ends of Kor-Azor with SYJ’s influence going toward Khanid and EE’s toward Genesis. At the start of the relationship SYJ was securely the “senior” partner in the coalition having had a long successful history as a C6-C6 WH mercenary alliance. Their organization, leadership, and doctrines all had the markings of a more experienced and capable alliance. Together, we managed to secure two super capitals in Khanid belonging to the then-Jihadsquad, currently reformed as DarwinismDOT, and accomplished several other joint campaigns/operations.
However that balance began to shift when SYJ left Khanid due to the invasion by the more numerous Black Legion. and settled in Genesis closer to EE which at the time was reeling from conflict on their own turf. While SYJ stagnated due to inactivity, EE took joy in camping the Ami/Fensi gate day in and day out. At the time of DNAC’s sundering, SYJ and EE were on much more equal terms. Even so, SYJ had several distinct advantages:
1. Having recently captured most if not all of EE’s orbital assets including moons, we had a source of income.
2. The “shock” of the seizure of assets had a demoralizing effect on EE, some of which opted to join us or depart elsewhere.
3. Aside from Gumby, EE only had low level FCs that had little experience beyond leading gate camps.
On the other hand, EE had several advantages, some of which could have been dealt with on SYJ’s part had senior leadership acted differently:
1. Gumby was burnt out having many of his old friends turn against him. He was unable or unwilling to devote his full capacity to such a campaign.
2. The influx of new members from EE lead to internal conflicts which often arise when new corp members join. While in peace time this is manageable, during a war the effects are amplified.
3. SYJ leadership decided to move the alliance out of Bantish (Genesis region) close to Fensi (EE’s HQ) further away into Aridia. Although I internally protested, I was unable to change the exec’s mind and did my best to support his decision publicly. However, the distance made logistics to our recently acquired former-EE moons a major issue.
4. Lastly, the point that brings it all together, was that TISHU opted to support EE with capital assets in the pre-Pheobe era. While SYJ may have been able to deal with EE alone, TISHU supers ensured that any capital assets of SYJ’s could not enter the field. Having frustrated TISHU’s goals before, they reveled in DNAC’s implosion.
I drew TISHU into a local conflict with us in Aridia knowing EE was unlikely to cut the umbilical cord that tied them to Fensi. This way we could deal with half of the problem first, and then the second half later. SYJ lost a drunk piloted Thanny on the undock while the only actual battle between the them and TISHU saw the latter lose a poorly flown Machariel. Aside from that the only major casualties were a lot of brain cells. SYJ leadership opted to wait it out in station rather than fight an altogether winnable conflict. A few days before Pheobe hit, SYJ left for Curse and shortly after I myself left for Thera. Gumby opted to join TISHU, which soon got bored and went back to doing things “In Lowsec” (TM.)
What things does one do “In Lowsec” (TM) you ask? This usually consists of complaining on failheap about Ishtars, Snuffbox, and cheering up Doomchinchila from being eternally rejected by the alliance he really wants to be in, Shadow Cartel. (Those are inside jokes for us stupid people who actually go to failheap. Please don’t go there, it’s a terrible place. No really, just don’t even.) Other things one does “In Lowsec” is have all of your Moons stolen by not-so-rogue “rogue directors” and sold to Nocturnal Romance, a fate shared by both TISHU, and a few months earlier by their ally, Overload Everything (OE.) While a campaign was designed to reclaim the lost assets, the CFC involvement in the area negated those plans. Instead TISHU decided to invade the Genesis/Kor-Azor area and take the moon assets EE now holds after having spent the past few months regrinding the abandoned towers lost to SYJ.
In an ironic twist of fate now TISHU is the entity whose goals of defeating EE are frustrated by a more powerful super cap entity in the form of NCdot. I was present the night of the opening salvos and my screen was littered with reinforcement timers as I flew through Fensi and the surrounding systems. It’s still hard to say if NCdot will continue to strike TISHU capital assets or if this was a one time event. In any case, TISHU will have to be much more careful with future attacks on EE assets.
